CEDAR CITY — Three teenagers were injured Thursday night when their Jeep was struck by another vehicle on state Route 130 in Enoch.
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Riches said that shortly after 6 p.m., the Jeep carrying the teens had just pulled out of the Foster’s Market parking lot onto southbound SR-130, when it was struck from behind by a pickup truck.
“A female in the back seat was ejected and sustained significant injury,” Riches told Cedar City News.
The girl, identified by her mother in social media posts as Baileigh Seymour, was subsequently flown via airplane to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she later underwent surgery. Her injuries include multiple bone fractures and severe damage to her right hand, including partial amputation of three fingers.
Baileigh’s mother Jillian Seymour talked to Cedar City News by telephone on Sunday morning as her daughter was being prepared to go into surgery on her broken ankle.
“They were doing surgery on her hand on Friday,” Jillian Seymour said. “They were able to save the bottom joint, like the bottom third of her first two fingers, the index and middle finger. And then, on her ring finger, she lost the top of her finger. She’s got some pretty significant injuries on her right hand, so she’s going to have to be relearning things.”
Baileigh also broke six ribs and an elbow, and had a pelvic fracture and a lacerated spleen, her mother added.
Meanwhile, the other two teenagers in the Jeep, the boy who was driving and a girl who was in the front passenger seat, were also injured in the crash, although not as severely. They reportedly sustained facial lacerations and possible concussions.
Meanwhile, the driver of the pickup truck had no reportable injuries, UHP said.
All three of the teens who were in the Jeep are juniors at Cedar High School, Jillian Seymour said.
“Baileigh got the worst of it because she was in the back seat, where it was struck,” she added. “She just came out the back.”
Jillian Seymour said the teens had just finished running an errand at the store, which is just down the street from where the Seymour family lives. She was able to make it to the scene just as emergency responders were arriving.
“I got the call at 6:15 and the ambulance was already getting Baileigh,” Seymour said. “Baileigh was just really lucky. She was lying in a puddle of gas … if there would have been any kind of spark… .”
A GoFundMe donation page has been started by Baileigh Seymour’s aunt Sara Davis to raise funds to help cover medical expenses. Donations may also be made directly to Jillian Seymour’s Venmo account.
Jillian Seymour said she hopes her daughter will be able to make it home from the hospital on Tuesday, which happens to be Baileigh’s 17th birthday.
Ed. note: When making charitable contributions, it is advisable to consult with professionals for tax advice and investment risks.
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